A poll released last week by Market Force, a marketing analysis firm based in Colorado, asked consumers that very same question. The winner, by sheer numbers, was Olive Garden, which pulled in 9 percent of 5,000 votes from a list of 60 North American family restaurant chains. In fact, the top 15 were:

Interestingly, however, those numbers changed dramatically when the number of locations for each restaurant was taken into consideration. Olive Garden, for example, has 700 restaurants all over the country. The big winner the second time around, with only 145 locations, was Cheesecake Factory.

"It was not difficult to understand why The Cheesecake Factory fared so well with consumers," Market Force observed. "When the respondents were asked to score these same restaurant chains for characteristics they appreciate most, The Cheesecake Factory scored highest in six out of 10 categories, including taste and quality of food, atmosphere and cleanliness. Red Robin won out for speed of service and for its accommodation of children."

Ultimately, the marketing folks determined that people don't eat at fast-casual restaurants for convenience's sake: they're going to places like Cheesecake Factory not only because they like the food that's served – that's always a plus in my book – but because they enjoy the overall experiences those restaurants offer. In other words, you'll hit Burger King because you have 20 minutes for lunch but you'll take your family to Applebee's because you want a nice evening out.

What draws you to fast-casual places? Is it the food? The atmosphere? Kid-friendly set-ups? What do you dislike most about them? Let's hear it!